Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition

"Slay an arsenal of demons with your favorite SSStylish sons of Sparda"

Intro

The Devil May Cry series has stood strong throughout the years and has put many to the test and requires determination, style, patience, and most importantly, skill. Devil May Cry fans would know that patience is the key to success to mastering this insanely difficult game. Owners of DMC3: Dante's Awakening should pick this game up immediately because there are features that's been implemented to this game. If you're new to DMC3, you should begin this series now if you're interested in playing a nearly perfect action game. To sum it all up, the added bonuses include playing as Dante's twin badass brother, Vergil. This means you get to play as the antagonist and uncover his side of the story. Well, not quite. But, the bonus as playing with this mysterious badass is what counts, right? Right, I'm getting distracted. To the point, the seemingly known enemy with an untold story named Jester is a new boss. Basically all there is to it is going into a portal that strangely appears, Jester introducing his awesome self, and battling to no limits. A new turbo mode feature has also been added which boosts the whole game including your self, the enemies, etc. by 20%. You may think that's not a whole lot, but as you progress the story, you'll be grateful that Capcom has blessed you with this option. Also, a new 'Very Hard' mode has added to the sheer greatness of this game, Gold orbs which allows infinite continues has been implemented(recommended for inexperienced players) and lastly, a new Bloody Palace mode of 9,999 Levels has given you the opportunity to unlock Super Dante&Vergil and gives you a time to shine to kick some demon ass.

Graphics

Not excellent, nor horrible. Somewhere in between. Not much can be said about this one. But, Cut scenes are spectacular. If you play a game for graphics, stop your reading here and quit your pitiful gaming career.

Gameplay

Wow, where do I begin? To start off, you get to choose to play as one of the two Sparda sons, Dante or Vergil. These both have a large mass arsenal of attacks that can really give you various times to be as Stylish as you possibly can. Dante obviously obtains more weapons because he's the protagonist, though he can only carry two weapons at a time. Vergil, on the other hand, has the option to carry three weapons at once, wielding the Yamato, Beowulf, and Force Edge/Yamato combination. In conjunction to the already great gameplay, you also have many choices to dodge to avoid damage to affect your overall rank for the mission. These ways are to jump, roll, or Air Hike/Trick-Up, down, etc. Keep in mind that you are ranked at the end of the mission based on these categories: Time, Orbs, Stylish Points, Damage and Items. So, keeping that in mind, try to be as stylish as humanly possible to obtain more Orbs from enemies, keep the time to a down-low, dodge as much as you can and pretend that if you use an item, then a large stick would get shoved up your *ahem* Well, yeah to the point. The gameplay is simply beautiful and shouldn't be changed.

Difficulty

Let's look up the word to begin, shall we?

The condition or quality of being difficult: the difficulty of a task.
Something not easily done, accomplished, comprehended, or solved.

Yep, this game is the exact definition of what is said above. The difficulties that the game offers you do NOT lie. This game may take you to the limits of breaking your controller, disk, memory card, you get my point am I right? They toned down this version a bit by downgrading the difficulties. Easy mode in Dante's Awakening is now Normal Mode in this version, Normal is Hard mode, DMD/VMD(Dante must Die/Vergil must Die) stay the same, and Easy mode in this version is like a "Very Easy" mode. This is only suggested for people that don't have a feel for this game.

Story

Same plotline as Dante's Awakening and for those who unfortunately don't know, Vergil is ready to unlock the door from the Human world to the Demonic world with the help of a companion who later frustrates him, Arkham. Dante hears about this and wishes to face his brother who appears as Nelo Angelo in Devil May Cry 1(Remember, this is a prequel. Dante is still at his teen years and likes pissing people off) Playing as Vergil has given me the thought that Capcom rushed on this one. You go through the same missions as Dante and Vergil has what, two cut scenes? In the end, it makes no sense at all, really. You get no idea of what Vergil has been behind as you play as Dante. Demising his plan? Owning it up against demons? Fapping? I just don't know. It was a slight disappointment. Anyway, if you plan to play the whole Devil May Cry series, there's no particular order you should play it in as you will eventually find a whole connection to what happens next. But In my opinion, play it in this order: 3, 1, 2.

Sounds

Music ain't all too great. It can get annoying at times yet repetitive. The preparation music starting the mission (begins on Mission 15, I think) is pretty eerie and fits the mood. I'd recommend popping your own music to listen to while playing this.

Replay Value

This deserves more than a 10. Honestly, this game will keep you hooked beyond your imagination. Costumes to unlock, Bloody Palace to complete, Combo Mastering, SS ranking every mission, secret missions, defeating every difficulty. I can't stop. Capcom really spent a load of time on this category. Two Thumbs up, Capcom =] Perfect Opportunity to get started on a game that you will spend countless hours on. I can guarantee that this game will be the only game in your PlayStation 2 until you're done with it. Yes, it's that entertaining. So, go to the nearest local store and pick up a copy of this game for a sweet deal of $20. Think you'll regret it? If so, it's your loss.

So, get your ass to a local game store and pick up a copy or Jester's gonna spank your butt, spank you on the buuuuuutt.

Overall 10/10 Simply Beautiful.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/06